Where The Stars Shine Brightest
by Airel Firdy
Summary: Loki, ordered to live amongst the mortals, is defenseless without the powers of illusion and magic. He refuses to leave his room in Midgard, for the humans are cowardly and weak and not worth his time. Despite Thor and Jane's attempts to help him, he still resists; he still hasn't let go of his bitterness and anger. But who is this Darcy Lewis, and why does she understand him?
1. Prologue

The throne room was empty, save for four figures. Golden rays of sun fell on the polished floors, their light banishing all shadow. Outside, trees stood proudly around the gardens, their arms aloft, their branches bearing multitudes of waxy green leaves. Birdsong delighted the ears of those who beheld it, and the lazy humming of bees vibrated from their hives. Most lovely of all, a thousand flower faces gazed towards the sun, warm beams dancing to and fro from grass to garden to trees and back again.

These wonders were lost to the royal family, the four figures that had gathered in the throne room.

The first was a tall, broad-shouldered warrior, who bore many badges of bravery. His eyes, though burdened with the weight of responsibility, shone with some secret hearty humour that now was hidden in a dark mist. Beside him stood a man of shorter stature, but of cunning mind and bitter heart. His green, almost shadowed eyes, stared boldly and defiantly at the man sitting upon the throne.

This man was the All-Father, the great Odin, son of Bor. Age seemed to have catched up with him, for his hair was now streaked with silver and grey. His eagle-eyes stared back at the two men, and he sighed.

Odin turned to his wife, the gentle and lovely Frigga. She bent her head, her rippling honey-gold hair concealing her expression.

"It is as you have heard, Loki," he said to the green-eyed man. "Thor shall take you to Midgard for a span of three years, in which you will learn the worth of the mortals."

Loki's eyes glittered resentfully. "The mortals are of no worth."

"That was my first assumption," replied the All-Father. "But I soon learned otherwise. Mortals, who do not live for long, are but mere shadows of the Asgardians. They have a life span of only a century, or even less, and, from what my sources tell me, they seldom spend their life in a meaningful way. Nevertheless, their bravery and resistance never fails to amaze me. It is a pity that many of them have grown… out of it."

"Bravery and resistance?" spat Loki. "They are weak, cowering creatures! They will obey any command, and they whimper at the sight of us. Why should we condescend to them? What reason is there for me to live in the midst of a people too frightened to stand?"

At every sentence, his voice rose higher. The warrior beside him turned and looked into his eyes.

"Do not underestimate the mortals, brother. They are–"

"_Do not call me brother_," hissed Loki.

Thor's face hardened. "I will call you brother, and not by any other name."

Odin rose from his throne.

"That is enough. Thor, by evening, you are to meet Heimdall. He will direct you and your brother to Midgard, and there you shall stay for three years. And by then, when you return–" he released his breath and sunk into his throne "– I hope Loki shall then be a changed man."

Two guards marched towards Loki, taking him by the arms, and his face paled.

"You cannot do this!" he screamed. "I will not live among the mortals as if I were on myself!"

"I am sorry, my son," said Frigga. She arose and descended the stairs. Her hand cupped his cheek and she kissed Loki's forehead gently. "I shall miss you. When you return, I shall host a feast for you."

She smiled tenderly and embraced the suddenly paralyzed god of mischief.

Odin's voice rang out over their heads.

"You shall meet the so-called Avengers and their folk, and perhaps even find love among the mortals, Loki. Your shelter will be a room within the house of Jane Foster, and every meal you eat will be spent with mortals, be it Jane Foster or any other.

"But it is far too dangerous to let you dwell in Midgard with your powers."

Loki's breathing turned shallow as he realized what Odin was saying. Streams of sweat ran down his temples, and he clenched his fists.

"No. No!"

"Loki of Asgard, I take from you your powers of illusion and magic.

"They shall stay behind in Asgard until your return."

Odin and Frigga watched as the energy seemed to drain away from their adopted son's body, leaving him limp and weak.

"Take him to his quarters," said Odin to the guards. "Be sure to stay by his door lest he try to escape. And when evening comes, Thor will take him to Heimdall. We shall not see Loki for three years."


	2. A Surprise Visitor

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day went by happily, Jane and Darcy enjoying the leftover Christmas party food. They played Christmas music, took walks to the park (and to Starbucks), and wrote Christmas cards. Relatively, it left a lot of time for them to read their new books, which they didn't complain about.

Boxing Day was a shopping spree for all the girls. Darcy and Jane's closets were expanded quite a bit, because all the reduced prices and the buy-one-get-one free deals. They exchanged advice and coupons with Tasha and Ginny, and practically invaded every single store in their vicinity.

The boys, meaning Clint, Bruce, Steve, and Tony, went to buy equipment and all their boy things (Steve now sported a blue jacket with the scarf Darcy had bought for him). Pretty much all of their technology (laptops, phones, etc.) were upgraded for free by Tony, who was in a benevolent mood. Thanks to Tin Can Man, Jane's printer was no longer malfunctioning. That was something to be grateful for.

Now, Darcy was in the kitchen, warming up some food for lunch. She had scraped her impossibly curly hair into a messy ponytail, and was wearing an apron (her sweater had just gotten splashed with gravy just a second ago). As she stirred, she recalled all the events from the past year.

_Two signs from Thor…_

_Shopping… _

_Preparations for the party…_

… _and of course, the party itself. That's unforgettable, for sure._

_And the New Year's party yesterday, and the Boxing Day rampage. I can't believe one year's passed already! And Jane's still so excited about her new job. _

_I still remember two days ago when I had my job interview, too. Now I get to work alongside Dr. Banner and Jane! _

_Rats. This gravy's lumpy. Better stir a bit more._

It had snowed, about knee-high. For the rest of December, and most of the first week of January, it kept snowing. A few days ago, it turned to slush. And now Darcy was waiting for the sun to come out.

The New Year's party was almost as good as the Christmas party. It was at the Avengers Mansion, with even better food. They had watched one of Tony's Disney movies, and had stayed up until one to yell "Happy New Year" to each other.

And then they had a slumber party, the girls in Ginny's room and the boys in the entertainment room. That was the best.

Just to comfort Jane (who had expected Thor to arrive on December 30 or around that), Clint had given her a whole pot of gravy and all the turkey leftovers. And that was what Darcy was attempting to warm up right now.

She frowned, stirred a little harder, and adjusted her glasses (Darcy had just switched from her black glasses frames to brown, and they were really comfy). Beside the gravy she was warming, Darcy was also trying to make some pasta.

It had white patches, even though the water was boiling violently.

Darcy sighed and dumped it in the trash.

_Did I even check the expiry date?_

She stirred the gravy some more, and turned the heat down. Darcy went upstairs to comb her hair (she didn't exactly want a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent to walk into their house and see Darcy Lewis with a cranky expression and hair bumps in her ponytail), and also decided to change out of her clothes.

_I just washed the dishes, and did the laundry. I don't want anyone to see my pants splattered with soapy water._

Darcy put on white capris, her dark green hoodie, and her new fluffy slippers (she had a thing for fluffy clothes). Her hair was combed (and tugged, and cursed at), and she added two black bobby pins on each side to secure her curls.

She thumped down the stairs, and went back to the kitchen.

_Stir. Stir. Stir. _

_Keep stirring, and maybe it won't taste awful._

She lifted the wooden spoon and let the gravy drip back into the saucepan.

"Yes! No lumps!"

A whole lot happier, she continued stirring ("You never know!")

While she was scraping the sides of the saucepan, Darcy heard the door open. Her ears caught the muffled sounds of Jane's voice, a deeper (and eerily familiar) voice, and another voice that gave her goose bumps.

_Not any more S.H.I.E.L.D. agents! _

She kept on her nonchalant expression.

_Keep calm. Maybe they're door-to-door salesmen and are offering a good deal for furniture or something._

"Darcy? Where are you?" Jane called.

"In the kitchen," she said. "And guess what! I heated up the gravy after it solidified, and it's got no lumps!"

"Great!" Darcy heard the sound of Jane putting the car keys on one of the drawers. "I brought you a visitor!"

"Gee, thanks. Hope it's not a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent."

"You'll never guess!"

Darcy heard Jane's footsteps coming towards the kitchen as she scraped the bottom of the saucepan.

"See?"

Darcy looked up.

"CRAP!"

"DARCY!"

"Oh. Sorry. I just noticed you're wearing my shirt."

"I'm sorry. But look!"

Darcy's head spun in circles and her mouth hung open. She rubbed her eyes and pinched her arms.

_I don't believe my eyes._

"Thor?"

For a reason Darcy would never admit aloud, she was both elated and miserable to see him.

"It is a pleasure to meet you again, Darcy Lewis."

The thunder god, properly dressed in red cape and armour, smiled.

Jane was practically bouncing up and down in excitement. Her brown eyes sparkled golden as she gestured everywhere.

"And guess what! He brought his brother! From Asgard!"

"Brother?"

Darcy suddenly noticed a dark, shadowy figure standing behind Thor, clothed in her favourite colour. His green eyes pierced through her, searching inside her, probing.

Thor grinned.

"Darcy, this is my brother. His name is Loki."

**Yes, I am aware that this is Chapter 12 of Christmas at Jane's. **

**You might be wondering why it's here. This chapter, you see, is vital to the next. So basically it's just a recap; the next chapter continues the story. Also, you might notice that Darcy is acting kind of... weird. You'll see why.  
**


	3. Of Saucepans and Tasers

**Darcy.**

Darcy's blood ran cold as she looked him over.

"Loki?" she said, disbelieving. "Of Asgard? _Thor's brother_?"

Jane rolled her eyes. "Yes!"

"Jane, are you crazy? You're letting an insane man, an arrogant, glory-obsessed murderer _in your house_? What are you thinking!?"

Jane frowned. "Darcy, Thor says he won't hurt anyone anymore, and I trust Thor's word."

"Well, good for you!"

With a loud, ringing bang, Darcy swung the saucepan, gravy-side down, onto Loki's head.

Jane and Thor's mouths dropped open.

Darcy was disappointed when Loki did not fall down unconscious. Instead, he stared at her in surprise, his head dripping gravy.

_Not cooperating at all. I have to take extreme measures now._

She reached for her taser and tased Loki.

He collapsed like a felled tree.

"Much better."

She turned to Jane and Thor, who were staring at Darcy in horror.

"What?"

Loki moaned, and stirred a little bit.

"Whoops."

She tased him again, and this time, he didn't move.

…

"Darcy Lewis, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" shouted Jane. "YOU TASERED my boyfriend's BROTHER!"

"Adopted brother."

"I don't CARE! He's staying with us for three years! Is this how we treat guests?"

"Three–? Cold-blooded murdering ones, yes."

"WHAT THE HECK, DARCY!"

"Okay, fine, I'm usually very nice to everyone. But what does this have to do with Loki?"

Darcy stood, arms crossed, in front of Jane, who was growing redder by the second and punctuating all her sentences by furiously gesturing with her arms.

"It has everything to do with him! THIS is NOT OKAY."

"Um."

"Darcy, you made this mess, so you clean it!"

"Wait. What?"

"You heard me! You got gravy in his hair and on his armour. You will clean it up."

"Oh my gosh. You don't really mean–"

"Yes, I do, actually. Bring him upstairs to the guestroom, and get working."

Darcy huffed, but obeyed anyway. No one defied Jane when she was in one of her moods.

First, she got two clean hand towels, two combs, a larger towel, and a large plastic bowl. Darcy filled the bowl with water and dipped in one of the hand towels. She squeezed out all the excess water, and put it aside.

"Time to drag Loki up the stairs."

So she did. And it was not pleasant. Loki was not as heavy as a normal man, but he was a lot heavier than she expected. After tugging at his arms and pushing his feet, Darcy gave up and slung the stupid god over her shoulder. She made her way slowly up the staircase, and eventually made it to the guestroom.

"You don't really deserve this pretty room, but what the heck," she said to Loki, even though he was still unconscious. "Guestroom is better than garage. So be thankful."

She took the cloth and wiped his face, grimacing when he moved a little bit. When his eyes didn't open, Darcy shrugged and ran a comb through his gravy-soaked hair.

Halfway through, she stopped for a break.

"You have nice hair, for an evil villain," she said quietly.

_Curse him! Did I just say that OUT LOUD? Villains aren't supposed to have nice hair._

_But he does have nice hair._

_Oh, heck!_

She took her mind off Loki's raven-black, shining hair and continued to comb.

After combing, she used a cup to pour water over sections of Loki's hair, rinsing out most of the sticky stuff. She did it as carefully as she could, and fortunately for Darcy, the god of mischief did not awaken during the process.

Darcy let Thor come in with some fresh clothes (Jane had gone to the mall quickly– after all, Loki couldn't really go around in a dirty cape, could he?), and he set them on the bed. Then, he helped her carry Loki to the bathtub, where she made him "sit" on a three-legged stool (his head slouching over the edge of the bathtub).

Now came the hard part. She turned on the showerhead and ran it over Loki's hair. She poured a bit of shampoo into her hand and rubbed it into his hair, making sure the soap reached the back of his head. Darcy washed and rinsed three times (just in case, you never knew with gods) for Loki, and was on the third rinse when he opened one eye.

**Loki.**

It was a humiliation. Three years, with the mortals? And the idea of falling in love with one! Was Odin insane?

Loki swore, and pounded his fists on his bed. The guards were still outside the door and all around the window. He didn't have his powers, so he couldn't make himself invisible and slip through the window, escaping elsewhere.

He swore again, bitterly.

"Brother?"

That idiot Thor was at the door! When would that cretin stop calling him brother?

"What do you want?" snapped Loki.

"We are leaving."

Loki didn't want to respond.

Thor opened the door and came in. "This is from Mother."

In his arms was a new cape.

Loki took it but didn't say anything.

"Let us go now. Heimdall is waiting."

…

Thor's lady friend was far more annoying than Loki had expected. She was small and mouselike, with a delicate smile. Her eyes (Loki inspected everyone's eyes first, since they said a lot about who they were) gleamed velvety brown, warm and innocent as a deer's.

Loki was slightly amused by the way Thor treated her. He seemed to want to… protect her. To be with her. To spend time with her. Loki did not know how "romantic love" felt. The only love he knew of was family love, which he knew through Frigga.

_No. Don't think of her._

He continued onwards, trailing behind his brother. Jane opened the door and called for someone. Deecy? Fleecy? Mamsy? Or something like that.

They entered the house. Loki didn't bother observing it. Soon enough, when they reached the kitchen, he found out who Jane's companion was.

_Ah. Darcy._

He looked at her and observed. For a mortal, she was… strange. She had brown eyes and hair like Jane, but her eyes were darker, and more mischievous. Darcy's hair was in careless curls and waves, spiraling around her shoulders. And she was clad in Loki's colour.

Green.

He heard the words "Thor's brother", "insane", "glory-obsessed", and "murderer" from her mouth, and was about to answer when she hit him on the head with her cooking utensil.

_You dare hit Loki Laufeyson's head with this– this–_

She took something out of her pocket, a gun, maybe, and aimed it at him.

Loki felt nothing. Then the world spun out of control, and darkness slid over his eyes.

…

When Loki awoke, he was in a very uncomfortable position. The mortal girl, Darcy, was leaning over him, massaging his… head?

_Why does my hair feel so heavy?_

His mind cleared.

"What are you doing, mortal?" he roared.

**Darcy.**

She froze.

"What are you doing, mortal?" Loki roared, sitting up abruptly.

"Helping you wash your hair, if you hadn't noticed," she said, trying not to gulp.

He examined her with his keen, cutting eyes.

"If you don't want soap in your eyes, you'd better lie down again," she said sharply.

"You dare give orders to the god of mischief?" Loki bellowed.

"Your brother said something like that once, only it was about tasers."

"HE IS NOT MY BROTHER!"

Darcy tried to quell the rising fear that was filling her. This man had killed more than eighty people just because he wanted to be king. This man had nearly murdered Thor and Jane. This man was… strangely handsome?

_Shut up, Darcy._

If she got him angry… she'd be doomed.

"Thor!" she called over her shoulder. "Little help, please! Monster woke up!"

"Monster? You–" said Loki, but stopped mid-sentence when Thor arrived in the doorway.

"I suppose he can bathe himself," said Thor after some thought.

"OF COURSE I CAN, YOU LITTLE–"

"Then be my guest," said Darcy. "Twist that knob to change temperature. Red is hot. Blue is cold. Turn it to that mark when you're done. I'll get you a clean towel."

Loki was at a loss for words, but he accepted the towel anyways.

"Have a nice shower."

This was going to be a very long three years.


	4. Chocolate Chip Cookies

**Darcy.**

When Loki emerged from the washroom, his hair was still damp. He was scowling.

"New clothes in your room," said Jane crisply. "Please change."

Darcy heard only one hissed curse-word (probably in a language she didn't know) from him before he muttered something (it sounded like "I don't take orders from mortals"). Thor gave his brother a look, and Loki went into the guestroom sulkily, slamming the door.

"He's just like an angsty teenager," remarked Darcy.

Jane gave her a pointed look.

"Okay, okay!" Darcy sighed. "But, really, three years? As a roommate? Will he do his share of chores?"

"I don't know yet," said Jane. "He might. But for now, he's just a guest, okay?"

"Okay."

As Jane showed Thor his new bedroom (another guestroom), Darcy went to change her clothes. Apparently, there was no need to change for Jane. The front was full of soapsuds and water splashes, as well as wrinkles.

_Too bad Loki's a guest. I would've liked to tase him again._

She sniffed and went to take her shower. After all, Darcy wasn't planning on wearing new clothes when her skin was wet with soap.

…

When Darcy came out, fully dressed in comfy clothes and toweling her hair dry, she ran into Jane.

"Hey, Jane," she said. "Anything else you want me to do?"

She'd meant it to sound sarcastic, but it came out kind of cranky.

Jane shrugged. "I want you to apologize to Loki for hitting him on the head with a saucepan, soaking him with gravy, and washing it out for him without permission. After you've done that, come downstairs. I'm making chocolate chip cookies, just the way you like them."

"You want me to _what_?"

"You heard me, Darcy." Jane went downstairs.

Darcy leaned against the wall.

Most likely the god of mischief would kill her on the spot. Or torture her. Or permanently maim her. Or something. Darcy wanted to live for a hundred years, and wasn't planning on dying today.

But cookies! Chocolate chip, her favourite! How dare Jane bribe her with her biggest weakness.

Darcy made herself get up and knock on the door of the guestroom.

She waited nervously.

"Go away," grunted the voice from within the room.

She came in anyway.

He was sitting on the ground (the bed wasn't very big, nor was it comfortable-looking). Since she hadn't gotten much of a good view (besides, she was kind of busy with a saucepan), it was then that Darcy got a good look at Loki.

He had an agile, wily form that differed greatly from Thor's muscled figure. His hands were pale and slender, and his features sharply pronounced. Loki's shoulders were not as broad as Thor's, and his eyes were… blue, for some reason (she could've sworn they were green). He was dressed in the clothes Jane had bought for him: a long-sleeved green cotton shirt and black pants. Obviously he wasn't used to them; Loki kept plucking at the sleeves and collar.

"Hi," said Darcy.

Loki glared at her. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"Talking to you," she said, and sighed inwardly.

"I do not desire to speak to you at the moment," he grumbled. "Leave my room."

_Good. He's calling it "his" room. _

Darcy ignored him and sat next to the god of mischief, who was glowering.

"Look," she said. "I'm sorry I hit you on the head with my saucepan, okay? I was just, well, scared. 'Cause normally, Jane doesn't let criminals into her house."

She noted the way Loki cringed slightly at 'criminals', and felt a little guilty.

"Oh. Sorry. I mean, it's not every day you get gods coming to your house, right? Actually, maybe for you, but not for us. And I'm also sorry I tased you. Twice. And washed your hair without permission, but Jane made me do it and it's not my fault."

_That sounded bad, Darcy._

"What I mean is– uh– well, I'm sorry. And I hope you don't kill me or anything. And we have chocolate chips downstairs if you want any. Um. Bye."

Darcy scooted out the room as fast as she could.

_I hope he's not laughing at me._

**Loki.**

The mortal girl was very strange, Loki had decided.

It amazed him that she had apologized for her actions, instead of trying to kill him again. There had been a little twinge in his heart when he had heard Darcy call him a murderer.

But he was, wasn't he?

He'd killed innocent people.

_Stop it. They're beneath me. Their life or death does not matter. _

Loki stood, and looked out the window.

Why hadn't he attacked the mortal when she was talking? Why hadn't he killed her, then and there? Why had he even listened to her talking?

Because he had been surprised. No one, save for Thor (which in his mind, didn't count) had apologized for wronging him.

_I was being merciful._

_No. I am not merciful. Mortals will not get any mercy or pity from me._

_Especially not that peculiar one._

A slight breeze. Loki turned away from the window.

What were chocolate chip cookies, anyway?

**Darcy.**

"Hope that went well," said Jane.

"I'm still in one piece, at least, and I don't seem to be permanently maimed."

"Ha, ha, very funny."

"Jane, really, he tried to kill your boyfriend. And you're on speaking terms with him?"

Jane lifted the tray of cookies from the oven. "I forgive people easily, even though they don't apologize. And it's more like a one-sided conversation with him, anyways. Cookie?"

"Sure."

Darcy hungrily attacked it. The cookie was soft but slightly crackly, with half-melted milk and dark chocolate chips. It crumbled in her mouth. She sighed and swallowed a bit of cold milk.

"I suppose that is what you mortals call a chocolate chip cookie," said a low, grumpy voice above her head.

Darcy nearly shot upright in her chair.

"Do _not_ do that!" she said, annoyed, when she saw who it was.

"Do _not_ tell me what to do," he replied snappishly in the same tone.

Jane did not seem very affected by Loki. She offered him a plate of cookies and a glass of milk.

"Thank you," he muttered, scowling, and Darcy silently thanked her friend for being so calm.

"Brother!" said Thor, who came in and pulled out a chair for himself. "These are wonderful! You must have one."

Loki glared.

"Do not call me brother and do not command me to do anything."

"But truly, it is a marvelous creation."

"It is a mortal creation, and I will not be persuaded." To emphasize this, Loki crossed his arms.

_This must be how toddlers argue._

"Just take one."

"No."

"It is merely a cookie!"

"How do you know she is not trying to poison me?"

_Never mind. This is a downright suspicious toddler's argument._

Jane looked very offended.

"What would I gain by poisoning you?" she demanded.

Loki opened his mouth to answer, but decided against it.

"It is rude to refuse your host's offering," insisted Thor.

Loki exhaled loudly and took a bite. His expression did not change, but Darcy noticed his stiff posture seemed to loosen a little. He took another bite and chewed slowly.

_At least he likes it._

There was a long and awkward silence as everyone munched on their cookies.

_Maybe I should… say something._

"So, um," said Darcy. "I heard Odin's not your real dad."

Immediately, Loki's pale eyes glowed fierce blue.

Jane and Thor shook their heads frantically at her, mouthing 'no'.

"Who's your father, then?"

Oops.

Too late.

Darcy covered her mouth in horror.

_Oh, no._

Loki stood slowly, his tall frame (which, though shorter than Thor's was still very tall) trembling with anger. His eyes were now bright blue, burning everything they touched like hot iron against flesh. In an instant, they met her own eyes.

Darcy swallowed, and her heart pounded in her ears.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

Cookies forgotten, she backed away from him, suddenly shivering with cold.

_No. Not an angsty teenager after all._

_This is a full-grown, rabidly angry dragon._


	5. Free

**Darcy.**

It took five cups of tea to calm Darcy down.

Thor and Jane had dragged Loki back into his room (Jane, though she was small, was averagely strong, and Thor was superhero-strong, in a sense). Even now, Darcy could hear Loki throwing things around angrily.

_Must be a habit, huh?_

As Darcy took another sip of hot, steaming tea, she noticed she was still shivering. There were four icy fingerprints on her left arm where Loki had grabbed her.

The fingerprints were blue.

_Weird._

She was still cold. Darcy gulped down another sip, and didn't meet Jane's eyes.

"Please, please, for my and Thor's sakes, do not mention parents in front of Loki," she sighed. "I know the only thing you know about Loki's family is that he's adopted, and that's all I know as well, but just… don't mention it, and hopefully he won't destroy our house."

Darcy shivered miserably under a heap of blankets, and sunk even farther into the couch.

"Sorry," she said.

"I know. It's not really your fault."

'Not really' wasn't very assuring.

Darcy let the blankets slide over her head. What was _wrong _with Loki, and why was he so upset about being adopted?

**Loki.**

He threw the chair at the wall again and growled.

How dare the mortal girl remind him of Odin? How dare she question who his 'real' father was, acting as if she didn't know? How dare she?

He collapsed on the ground, teeth gritted in fury.

Loki had smashed, bent, broke, and splintered every single object in his bedroom: drawers, chairs, his bed, the closet door, the tiny desk, and even the light bulb. In his anger, he had destroyed the guestroom completely.

_I should have killed that meddling, nosy, irritating mortal when I had the chance!_

He kicked the remains of the bed frame.

_I wish I had my powers back. Torture would be much easier._

**Darcy.**

"What?"

Darcy's voice came out squeaky.

Thor nodded, confirming her fears. This was not a dream, then.

"The only thing you can do is apologize to Loki."

"But–"

Thor ran a finger over Mjolnir, which was sitting on the table.

"If you leave him, he will try to murder you in any possible way as painfully as possible. I am not sure of my theory, but the most peaceful way to calm him is to apologize, and perhaps bring him some cookies. He seemed to enjoy them."

"Cookies, yes, entering his room, NO! This is suicide, I'll get killed, he's not in the mood to forgive anyone –" Darcy knew she was rambling, but she didn't care.

"Jane will call the Avengers on her tell-y-fone? Yes, telephone. In case anything bad happens. If he gets angry, our friends will be here to help."

"O-Okay."

Darcy held her bruised arm with one hand.

"First, can you explain why my bruises are blue?"

Thor's eyebrows drew together as he gingerly ran a finger over her four bruises.

"You might find out shortly."

…

Darcy, still swathed in blankets, tentatively knocked at the guestroom door.

"Leave me alone!" Loki yelled, throwing something heavy at the door.

She felt her pulse become louder and faster.

"I'm sorry," she said weakly. "I, um… Well, I never thought you'd react like that. I was, you know, trying to make the conversation less awkward, and I… I'm really sorry."

She thought she heard a snort of derision.

Darcy huddled in her blankets, wisps of hair blocking most of her vision. Her glasses slumped over the bridge of her nose.

"Thor hasn't said anything about your family, so I, uh, assumed you, um…"

"Then do not assume anything else!"

Darcy flinched, and opened the door slowly, her hand shaking and trying to keep a hold on the doorknob.

"_I did not give you permission to enter_!"

Darcy quickly closed the door.

_Wonder what he's doing in there._

"Look, um, can we just forget this ever happened?" she said hopefully. "Maybe, well–"

Her voice broke off, and she stared at the floor.

_This is stupid._

_Why am I bothering to do this, even?_

_I'm going downstairs._

At the very moment she turned, she heard soft sounds of movement coming from the guestroom.

"Very well," came the muffled voice of Loki. He still sounded angry, but less furious than last time. "You may come in, but you will leave when I command you to."

Darcy gripped the plate of cookies tighter, and shuffled into the room.

Her eyes nearly popped out.

The room was a disaster, to say the least. Chair legs, pieces of bed frame, and shattered light bulb slivers occupied what was left of the floor. Mattress stuffing sat in a heap in a dark corner, and splintered wood hung from the remains of the closet.

"Oh."

Her eyes had reached Loki.

He was also a disaster. His neatly combed hair was frazzled and tangled up in knots. His clothes were dotted with little specks of blood. And his eyes, once blue, were now dulled green, pulsating with an agony Darcy could not name.

"What do you want?"

Wordlessly, Darcy extended her plate of cookies.

Loki struck it with the side of his hand, and they went flying into the wall.

Darcy winced at the sound of wall meeting plate.

Loki's eyes met hers again.

"I said, what do you want?"

"Can we talk?"

"About what?"

"Anything. I need to know stuff so that I don't get you angry again."

Loki did not respond. His eyes seemed to be mocking her and begging her at the same time.

Darcy tugged the blankets tighter around her, and cleared away some space on the floor to sit down.

Loki raised his head from the cookies he was staring at.

Darcy shuddered. His eyes were similar to when they had met, probing her mind and reading her soul. She did not like this feeling of being… known.

Loki suddenly cocked his head, eyes glittering in amusement. As if he had found out a secret so dark, so hidden, that no one else could have ever found it, except him.

His teeth gleamed.

"You love Thor."

…

Blank. That was how Darcy felt. Empty. Devoid of anything.

Yet at the same time, she was bursting with embarrassment and anger.

"What?"

Loki watched her reaction calmly, and spoke.

"You love Thor."

Darcy blinked.

"Well, yeah, he's going to be my brother if Jane gets married. I mean, _when_ Jane gets married. And I'll be their next-door neighbour, I guess. And… And… And… "

Now she was babbling. Just great.

Loki's smile grew larger. Now he was grinning.

"It takes much courage, mortal, to lie to the god of lies."

…

Darcy slumped, waves of hair concealing her face.

"How did you know?"

Her voice was barely audible.

Loki laughed slowly.

"I see many things, mortal. This I saw in your eyes, in the way you looked at Thor."

Darcy swallowed hard.

"It is cold and bitter to love someone who refuses to love you back, is it not?"

"Of course it is."

"Tell me. I am listening."

Darcy took a deep breath and released it. She glanced at the man in front of her.

"Why should I?"

Loki smiled again. "Is there anyone else to tell?"

"No."

Silence.

"Start when you are ready."

…

Darcy adjusted her blankets, and began.

"It kind of started when I tasered him," she said quietly. "I mean, I thought he was pretty… handsome, I guess. Not like any man I've ever met before. He was someone who respected and treated women well. Men in this world aren't really like that.

"I saw right away that Jane also thought he looked nice. And I thought to myself, This is just a light crush, right? So I shouldn't have to worry.

"But then, while some time passed, I found out he was actually really protective and kind of gentle, too. And I don't know, but… he started becoming more interested in us."

"At first, I thought it was me. And I was really flattered, you know. No one's ever liked me before. I mean, boys. I wasn't– I wasn't pretty. Like Jane. Jane's beautiful. She always has been. But when I was a kid I was taller than some of the boys and I had really big teeth. Lots of people told me I was ugly. So when I thought he liked me, I felt that maybe… maybe I wasn't weird-looking after all.

"But then I realized it was Jane he was looking at, not me. And it made sense. Why would anyone like me if they had Jane, right? Jane's smart and pretty and nice, not like me. So I decided to stop liking Thor. There's not much use ruining friendship with something that shouldn't even exist.

"You can't really stop liking someone right away, can you? I've tried to forget about him, I swear I have. But it doesn't work. I still love him a lot. And if I ever told Jane, she would die from it. I still don't know what to do."

Darcy was crying into her blankets. Loud, shaky cries. Different from Jane's usually quiet sniffles. She felt free, somehow. Telling Loki her shameful secret took a large weight off her heart, as if the secret had flown high and far away, never to be seen or heard from ever again.

She was free.


End file.
